Exodus 27:16

Posted on March 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 27:16 In introitu vero atrii fiet tentorium cubitorum viginti ex hyacintho et purpura, coccoque bis tincto, et bysso retorta, opere plumarii: columnas habebit quattuor, cum basibus totidem.

But at the entrance of the court there shall be a hanging of twenty cubits, of violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet and twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer; it shall have four columns with as many bases.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 In at PREP+ABL
2 introitu entrance ABL.SG.M 4TH DECL
3 vero however / but ADV
4 atrii of the court GEN.SG.N 2ND DECL
5 fiet shall be made 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
6 tentorium hanging NOM.SG.N 2ND DECL
7 cubitorum of cubits GEN.PL.M 4TH DECL
8 viginti twenty INVAR.NUM
9 ex of / from PREP+ABL
10 hyacintho violet-blue ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL
11 et and CONJ
12 purpura purple ABL.SG.F 1ST DECL
13 coccoque and scarlet ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL
14 bis twice ADV
15 tincto dyed ABL.SG.M PTCP.PERF.PASS
16 et and CONJ
17 bysso linen ABL.SG.F 2ND DECL
18 retorta twisted ABL.SG.F PTCP.PERF.PASS
19 opere work ABL.SG.N 3RD DECL
20 plumarii of an embroiderer GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
21 columnas columns ACC.PL.F 1ST DECL
22 habebit it shall have 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
23 quattuor four INVAR.NUM
24 cum with PREP+ABL
25 basibus bases ABL.PL.F 3RD DECL
26 totidem as many INVAR.ADJ

Syntax

Locative setting: In introitu vero atrii (“but at the entrance of the court”) specifies the place where this special hanging is placed. The adverb vero contrasts this feature with the ordinary court hangings.

Main clause 1: fiet tentorium cubitorum viginti — the verb fiet (“shall be made”) governs the subject tentorium (“hanging”), qualified by the genitive of measure cubitorum viginti (“of twenty cubits”).
The prepositional series ex hyacintho et purpura, coccoque bis tincto, et bysso retorta lists the materials from which the hanging is woven.
The phrase opere plumarii (“by the work of an embroiderer”) expresses the artistic workmanship.

Main clause 2: columnas habebit quattuor, cum basibus totidem — the implied subject is the entrance structure or hanging; habebit expresses possession; columnas quattuor gives the number of supporting columns, and the prepositional phrase cum basibus totidem states that there are the same number of bases as columns.

Morphology

  1. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces the locative phrase; Translation: “at”; Notes: here indicates position at the entrance.
  2. introitu — Lemma: introitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 4th declension; Function: object of in; Translation: “entrance”; Notes: refers specifically to the court’s gateway.
  3. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: discourse marker of contrast; Translation: “however” / “but”; Notes: contrasts the entrance arrangement with the side hangings.
  4. atrii — Lemma: atrium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: possessive genitive modifying introitu; Translation: “of the court”; Notes: identifies to which entrance this refers.
  5. fiet — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative passive third person singular; Function: main verb of creation; Translation: “shall be made”; Notes: passive equivalent of facietur, common in cultic instructions.
  6. tentorium — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter, 2nd declension; Function: subject of fiet; Translation: “hanging”; Notes: refers to the decorative entrance curtain.
  7. cubitorum — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine, 4th declension; Function: genitive of measure with implied “in longitudine”; Translation: “of cubits”; Notes: expresses the measurement unit.
  8. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies cubitorum; Translation: “twenty”; Notes: cardinal number giving total length.
  9. ex — Lemma: e / ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces material source; Translation: “of / from”; Notes: used here for composition.
  10. hyacintho — Lemma: hyacinthus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: object of ex indicating material; Translation: “violet-blue (cloth)”; Notes: precious blue-purple dye fabric.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links hyacintho with purpura; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple additive connector.
  12. purpura — Lemma: purpura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: second object of ex in the material list; Translation: “purple (cloth)”; Notes: expensive imperial dye.
  13. coccoque — Lemma: coccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, 2nd declension, with enclitic -que; Function: third element in the material series; Translation: “and scarlet”; Notes: dye from the kermes insect; -que joins it closely to the preceding items.
  14. bis — Lemma: bis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies tincto; Translation: “twice”; Notes: stresses the double-dyeing process for richness of color.
  15. tincto — Lemma: tingo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: modifies cocco; Translation: “dyed”; Notes: part of an ablative phrase describing the quality of the scarlet cloth.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links the dyed colored fabrics with the linen; Translation: “and”; Notes: continues the material list.
  17. bysso — Lemma: byssus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 2nd declension; Function: object of ex by continuation; Translation: “fine linen”; Notes: denotes high-quality linen thread.
  18. retorta — Lemma: retorqueo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: modifies bysso; Translation: “twisted”; Notes: indicates spun or plied linen threads.
  19. opere — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, 3rd declension; Function: ablative of means or manner; Translation: “by the work”; Notes: introduces the type of craftsmanship.
  20. plumarii — Lemma: plumarius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: dependent genitive with opere; Translation: “of an embroiderer”; Notes: specifies skilled artisan work.
  21. columnas — Lemma: columna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, 1st declension; Function: direct object of habebit; Translation: “columns”; Notes: supporting posts for the entrance hanging.
  22. habebit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb of possession; Translation: “it shall have”; Notes: subject is the entrance structure/hanging understood from context.
  23. quattuor — Lemma: quattuor; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies columnas; Translation: “four”; Notes: cardinal numeral giving the number of columns.
  24. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompanying element; Translation: “with”; Notes: links bases to the columns.
  25. basibus — Lemma: basis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of cum; Translation: “bases”; Notes: the foundations or sockets in which columns stand.
  26. totidem — Lemma: totidem; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: invariable; Function: modifies basibus; Translation: “as many”; Notes: specifies that the number of bases equals the number of columns.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.